Heel-attaching machine



Jan, 19, 1937.

w. R. BARCLAY ET AL I 2,068,000

HEEL ATTACHING MAC HINE Filed July 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEEL-ATTAGHING MACHINE Application July 25, 1934, Serial No. 736,882 In Great Britain November 18, 1933 16 Claims.

This invention relates to; the attaching of heels by machine to shoes, and is particularly, but by no means exclusively, concerned with the attaching of wood heels to womens shoes by fasteners,

usually nails, driven from inside the shoe.

In attaching wood or other high heels to womens shoes, it is usually desirable to hold the heel on the shoe by members which contact not only with the tread of the heel but with its side and rear surfaces, owing to it being difiicult to apply sufiicient heel-clamping pressure to the tread alone without incurring great liability of breaking the heel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for the secure holding of high heels which can not be subjected to great pressure applied to their tread surfaces without liability of breakage. In the attainment of this object there is employed, in a heel-attaching machine, a heel- 90 abutment arranged to apply only a predetermined and limited pressure to one part, usually the tread, of a heel, this application being under the control of another abutment or abutments, as those engaging the sides of the heel, which may apply such greater pressure as may be required to hold the heel firmly for attaching.

There is disclosed herein means for maintaining the clamping pressure substantially perpendicular to the tread-surface of the heel. This is not broadly a part of the present invention, being the subject of Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,050,312, Grewcock, Aug. 11, 1936.

The above and other features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings of a convenient construction according to the invention, in which drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of the upper part of a heel-attaching machine fitted with heel-holding mechanism according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of some parts of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section and on a larger scale, of a portion of Fig. 2.

The invention may be embodied in any usual form of heel-attaching machine in which there is relative movement between a heel-abutment and a shoe-entering jack or similar member, for instance a machine as shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,926,147, Gouldbourn et a1, September 12, 1933. A heel-abutment head or housing I2 is arranged for movement along a vertical path to clamp a heeL'being mounted at the bottom of a plunger 14 which slides in a vertical bore in an overhanging part of a heelattaching machine frame It. In the head I2 is mounted a stem I6 which operates a tread-faceengaging device or abutment [8, this stem I6 engaging the forward end of a compensating lever 20, the rear end, of which acts upon an abutment 22 for the rear surface of the heel. The rear abutment 22 is normally biased upwardly by a light spring 23, pushing the tread-abutment stem #5 downward. Engaging the lever 20, and forming a movable pivotal point therefor, are two transverse levers 24 (Fig. 2) which operate heel side abutments 26.

In the present construction, the tread-facecngaging abutment I8 is carried upon a block 30 mounted upon a pair of arms 32 which are pivoted at their inner ends to the machine column It. The abutment i8 is angularly adjustable on the block 30 by a hand-worm 33 which meshes with a worm-segment formed on said abutment. The block is fixed in different positions along the arms 32 by screws 35 which pass through slots in the arms so that the distance of the abutment from the column, and therefore from the back of a shoe located on a shoe-entering member or jack 49 (Fig; 1), may be adjusted. The arms are arranged for pivotal connection to any one of an upwardly and outwardly inclined series of openings 36, 31, 38 (Fig. 1) in a block 39 fixed to the column Ii]. The upper face of the block 30 contacts with a partly spherical knob or contact member 42 on the under side of an adjustable inner stem-piece 43 threaded into the stem It, The knob 42 has a flat under side relatively to which the block 30 slides when the main abutment-head l2 descends to clamp a heel.

The pivot-point of the arms 32 is adjusted upwardly or downwardly to one or another of the openings 36, 31, 38, according to the height of the heel being attached, in such a. manner that the block 30 presents the abutment I8, when the head I2 is moved down, with its under side substantially parallel to the tread-face of the heel. The abutment actually moves to heel-clamping position along an arcuate path the radius of which is represented by the arms 32. The final movement along this path is substantially perpendicular to the heel-tread-face. The block 30 is maintained normally raised by a tensionspring 44, the connection for which will be later described, so that it always remains in contact with the knob 42. There have been described two separate adjustments which alter the position of 1 theblock 30 and the abutment 18. First, move- Cir ment of the block 30 along the arms 32 by the worm 33 alters the effective length of the arms and the radius of the path of the block, and, second, application of the pivot of the arms to one or another of the openings 36, 32, 38 changes the position of the center of the path. The upper pivotal opening 36 will be employed when extrahigh heels (more than 3 inches, say) are to be attached to shoes. As shown, the center opening 31 may be employed for heels up to that height, although the upper point may be used for heels of any greater height than three inches. The lower opening 38 will be used for heels of less than two inches in height, it being generally desirable to locate the lower surface of the block 30, when down, as close to parallelism with the tread-face of the heel as possible, avoiding excessive angular adjustment between the block and the abutment I 8, that shown in Figs. 1 and 3 being an approximate maximum. The inner stem-piece i3 may be adjusted vertically relatively to the housing I2 by a hand-wheel (Fig. l) which is connected by a rod 47 (Fig. 3) to the stem I6. Rotation of the stem It by the wheel 45 causes the member 43, which is kept from rotating by a guide 49, to be screwed either in or out of the stem H5. The abutment 22 is self-adjustable with reference to the rear surface of a heel, it being movable in a circular guideway in its holder 25. This holder is horizontally adjustable by a hand-screw 29 relatively to its carrying stem 3|, which is engaged by the rear end of the lever 20. By its adjustments, the block 36 may be set to seat the abutment l8 accurately upon and to move substantially perpendicularly to tread-surfaces of heels of widely varying height and pitch, such accurate seating being specially desirable when the heels are highest.

To limit the pressure which is to be applied to a specified part of a heel, the forward ends of the arms 32 are connected by a cross-piece 46 to a rod 48 which extends vertically to a slide-plate 50 mounted within a fixed guideway 52 formed upon the front face of the overhanging part of the machine-frame Iii in which the abutment-plunger I4 is guided. The plate 50 is pulled upwardly by the spring 44, above mentioned, and has ratchet-teeth on its opposite sides engaged by two pairs of pawls 5d, 56 pivoted upon the guideway 52. The levers 24 which operate the side abutment members 26 have fixed to them upwardly extending arms 63 (Fig. 1) connected by a spring 62, which tends to hold the members 26 raised and apart from one another. The levers 24 also carry at the forward ends of their pivots upstanding fingers 64, having horizontal extensions which are adapted to engage tail-pieces of the pawls 54, 56 in such a manner that when the abutment members 26 receive their first movement towards a heel, the fingers 64 are moved laterally away from the pawls and release them. Therefore, one or another of the pawls engages, under the pull of tension-springs 66, 68, a tooth on the ratchet on one side or the other of the plate 50. The teeth on one side of the plate are cut so as to lie vertically between the teeth on the other side, to give a locking action at half the distance between the teeth on either side. Also of the pairs of pawls on either side of the plate 50, one pawl is farther above its pivot by the distance of one quarter of a tooth than the other. Thus, locking can be insured at quarter-tooth distance. When a pawl engages the plate 5|], the arms 32 and the tread-abutment I8 carried by them become locked against downward movement, and further descent of the abutment-housing 12, either by action of the machineoperator through a treadle, or under power of the machine applied automatically before the nails are driven to fasten a heel to a shoe, results solely in further depression of the rear and side abutments. The amount of pressure that will be applied to the tread-surface of a heel by mechanism arranged as just described may be determined and regulated by adjusting the pull of the spring 62 which tends to hold the side abutment members 26 apart. This adjustment may be effected by joining the spring to one of the arms 60 by an eye-bolt H1, which may be varied as to its projection through the arm by turning the nut.

When a heel is clamped by moving towards it the abutment-housing 12 containing members operating as above described, the abutment 18 will first engage the tread of the heel. As soon as this has occurred, further movement of the housing !2 causes the compensating lever 20 to rock, its front end moving upwardly relatively to the housing, and the rear abutment 22 to move down into contact with the rear of the heel. Any further rocking movement of the lever 26 is then prevented by the seating of the rear member 22 on the heel, and downward movement of the housing 12 continues while the lever 26 remains at rest. Consequently, the side abutment members 26 are moved in against the heel because the inner ends of their levers 24 are within the lever 28. At this time, the tread-abutment l8 becomes locked by the engagement of a pawl 54 or with the ratchet-plate 5i), and further downward movement of the housing increases only the pressure applied to the heel by the rear and side abutments. The pawls 54 and 5B are forced by the fingers 64 out of engagement with the ratchet-- plate, when the side abutments return with the housing to their original positions after a heel has been attached.

It will be understood that a device acting to limit the pressure applied to a part of a heel by a tread or other abutment may be, according to the invention, applied to an organization in which such abutment moves along a common path with abutments arranged to apply pressure to other parts of a heel.

Having described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, and means controlled by one abutment while it is in motion for limiting the pressure applied by another abutment.

2. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, and means made effective upon the movement of one abutment for positively locking another abutment against movement.

3. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, means made effective upon the movement of one abutment for positively locking another abutment against movement, and means arranged to vary the resistance to movement of the abutment effecting the locking action.

4. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, and a member movable as a result of the engagement to limit the pressure applied by one of the abutments.

5. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, a locking member for one of the abutments, and means for normally holding the member out of locking engagement, said holding means being released upon movement toward the heel of an abutment other than that tobe locked.

6. In a heel-attaching machine, a plurality of pressure-abutments movable into engagement with a heel, a locking member for one of the abutments, means for normally holding the member out of locking engagement, said holding means being released by movement toward the heel of an abutment other than that to be locked, means for resisting such movement, and means arranged to vary the resistance.

'7. In a heel-attaching machine, a pressureabutment, movable means for supporting the abutment, and a locking member movable into engagement with the supporting means and arranged to resist the advance of the abutment to apply pressure to the work.

8. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head co-operating with the jack, a pressure-abutment movable upon the head, a second pressure-abutment movable upon the head as a result of engagement of the first abutment with a heel upon the jack, and a locking member for the first abutment made effective upon movement of the second abutment toward the heel.

9. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head co-operating with the jack, a pressure-abutment movable upon the head, a second pressure-abutment movable upon the head as a result of engagement of the first abutment with a heel upon the jack, a spring resisting movement of the second abutment, and a locking member for the first abutment made efiective upon movement of the second abutment toward the heel.

10. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head cooperating with the jack, a pressure-abutment movable upon the head, a second pressure-abutment movable upon the head as a result of engagement of the first abutment with a heel upon the jack, 2, spring resisting movement of the second abutment, a locking member for the first abutment made effective upon movement of the second abutment toward the heel, and means arranged to vary the resistance of the spring.

11. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head cooperating with the jack, a tread-abutment and side abutments movable upon the head, and means made effective upon movement of the side abutments toward a heel for limiting the pressure applied by the treadabutment.

12. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a

pressure-head cooperating with the jack, a

tread-abutment, a rear abutment and side abutments movable upon the head, means for moving the side abutments into engagement with a heel after engagement of the tread and rear abutments therewith, and a locking member for the tread-abutment controlled by the side abutments.

13. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head cooperating with the jack, a tread-abutment, a rear abutment and side abutments movable upon the head, means for moving the side abutments into engagement with a heel after engagement of the tread and rear abutments therewith, a normally ineffective locking member for the tread-abutment, and means controlled by the side abutments for releasing the locking member.

14. In a heel-attaching machine, a jack for receiving a shoe and a heel to be attached, a pressure-head cooperating with the jack, a tread-abutment, a rear abutment and side abutments movable upon the head, means for moving the side abutments into engagement with a heel after engagement of the tread and rear abutments therewith, a locking member for the tread-abutment controlled by the side abutments, a spring acting to separate the side abutments, and means arranged to vary the force of the spring.

15. In a heel-attaching machine, a frame, a pressure-head movable thereon, a tread-abutment movable by the head, an arm pivoted upon the frame and supporting the tread-abutment, a toothed slide movable upon the frame with the tread-abutment, and a pawl carried by the frame and engaging the slide-teeth.

16. In a heel-attaching machine, a frame, a pressure-head movable thereon, a tread-abutment and side abutments movable by the head, an arm pivoted upon the frame and supporting the tread-abutment, a toothed slide movable upon the frame with the tread-abutment, a pawl carried by the frame and engaging the slideteeth, and a member movable with the side abutments for contact with the pawl.

WILLIAM RODERICK BARCLAY. FRANK BARTON. 

